THE PRESIDENT of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has attacked “the irrational ideology of the Greens” on the Climate Change Response Bill in his presidential address at the IFA’s annual general meeting in Dublin.
John Bryan said the Bill’s provisions threatened to block progress and prevent agriculture realising its potential to meet food demand.
Promising to increase pressure on politicians to reject the Bill, Mr Bryan said it could not be allowed to jeopardise the future of 128,000 farm families and the future of the economy of the country.
The Green Party has been criticised for attempting to surpass an EU target for a 20 per cent reduction in emissions (in the non-traded sector) by 2020 compared to 2005. This will entail steep falls in emissions from the agriculture sector and from the transport sector.
The legislation refers to targets of 26 per cent reductions by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030, but these also take into account the impact of increased forestation (which acts as a carbon sink and leads to a net reduction in carbon emissions).
Responding to Mr Bryan’s remarks, a Government spokesman said the Climate Change Response Bill would not harm Irish agriculture and talks were continuing with interested parties.
Mr Bryan said the Labour Party risked damaging economic recovery if it adopted carbon tax policies more ambitious than those of the Green Party.
Speaking to reporters at the meeting of the 87,000-member organisation, Mr Bryan, who has just completed his first year in office, said he was aware of Labour candidate Ivana Bacik’s comments that her party had more ambitious climate change policies than the Greens.
“If that is the case, then it would be a very backward step indeed as it puts employment and jobs at risk at a time when agriculture can be a driver in the economic recovery of the country,” he said.
However, in a statement later, Labour’s agriculture spokesman Seán Sherlock described Green targets as “unrealistic” and said his party would stick to EU targets on climate change.
Mr Sherlock said the proposed Bill went beyond EU targets and any attempt to exceed these targets would affect Ireland’s ability to compete.
Mr Bryan said a statutory code of practice and an independent ombudsman to curb retailer power would be high priorities in the IFA’s election manifesto.
He criticised margins by processors and retailers and said this damaged the future of some sectors, especially pig production.
Pig producers, he said, were now losing almost €1 million a week. Even though some retailers had recognised the fact that it cost €125 to produce a pig which was sold at €110 and had increased the amount paid by 12 cent a kilo, the processors had held on to this money.
“The situation is now at crisis point and the survival of the pig industry is at stake,” Mr Bryan said. “Processors must secure and pass back price increases.”
Dairies had let down their liquid milk suppliers by undercutting one another in reckless moves to gain or hold market share.
He said that despite the confidence in agriculture, it faced real threats in the coming year from the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and a possible agreement between the EU and Latin American countries.
The livestock and beef sector was particularly vulnerable if a trade deal was agreed with Latin American countries because beef imports would destroy price returns from EU markets and there were also implications for dairy, pigmeat, poultry and cereals.
He called for a renegotiated charter of farmers’ rights from a new government, securing full recognition and support for the vital role of agriculture in the economy.
IFA general secretary Pat Smith said a drop in IFA revenues of €3.8 million in 2010 was a reflection of a one-off payment of nearly €3 million from dividends, a payment from the FBD Trust in 2009 and a decline in the value of voluntary levies on farm produce paid by members.